News

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Following is a summary of news reports posted until 04:00 p.m.

Baghdad local time Thursday – July 22:

*Politics:

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Thursday congratulated Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the 58th anniversary of the 23rd July revolution.

ARBIL – There are no information about the announced visit by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to Kurdistan to tackel the current political impasse in the country, two official sources from the two main Kurdish parties said on Thursday.

ARBIL – A delegation from Iraq’s Kurdistan region will head for Washington on Thursday to meet with American officials to discuss the formation of the new government, a presidential source said.

BAGHDAD – Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani sent a cable of greetings to his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos on the occasion of his winning the presidential elections.

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will hold a meeting with the Head of al-Iraqiya List Iyad Allawi in the coming days, according to Adnan al-Seraj, a member of Dawlat al-Qanoon coalition.

BAGHDAD – One U.S. soldier was killed in a bomb blast in Diala on Wednesday, the fourth U.S. fatality during the month of July 2010, increasing to 43 the number of U.S. deaths this year.

*Economy:

MISSAN – Missan will receive 50 billion dinars after allocating one dollar for every oil barrel produced from its fields, according to chairman of the Missan council.

*Sports:

BAGHDAD – FIFA issued a statement on Thursday in which it threatened to impose sanctions on Iraq, including suspending the country’s participation on the international level, if the government continues to interfere in the Iraqi Football Association’s affairs to hamper its elections, scheduled on July 24th.

*Variety:

DIALA – Four power towers were destroyed on Thursday in acts of violence, causing a decrease in power energy in Diala, a government’s source said.